


Up and Down

by captainiamallama



Category: Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard - Rick Riordan
Genre: Angst, Character Death, F/M, Gen, Hospitals, M/M, Older Sam, Original Character(s), Platonic Love, Platonic Relationships, Sad, Sibling Love, alex and magnus are married, also sam and magnus' relationship is platonic, big friend love, like a whole lot, not in an incest way though ewwwww, original characters are sam's children and grandchildren, sam's family - Freeform, takes place years after the ship of the dead, they just admire and support each other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-25
Updated: 2018-03-25
Packaged: 2019-04-07 17:20:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14085816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/captainiamallama/pseuds/captainiamallama
Summary: The problem with having mortal friends is that they age. The problem with having mortal friends is that they will, eventually, die.***Alex and Magnus visit Sam in the hospital after a heart attack.





	Up and Down

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! 
> 
> This work is just like, a big sad ride. Be warned! 
> 
> It's rated teen because there's swearing. It's minimal though!
> 
> The relationship between Sam and Magnus is purely platonic, btw.
> 
> Also, my knowledge of health-stuff is almost non-existent, so if I made any mistakes please let me know! 
> 
> Thank you for choosing this story and I hope you enjoy it!

The email had said something about a heart attack- everything after that was so jumbled that nobody could make any sense of it. Death is hard to comprehend when it’s an everyday experience- and harder still to understand when it’s the first one you’ve seen that’s clean and sterile. 

The hospital was so devoid of life that it wasn’t surprising that people were dying in it. Blinding walls and doctors in white lab coats, a steady beep beep beep that seemed to come from nowhere, hushed whispers. A nurse sat on a chair, sipping a cup of coffee, tapping on her phone. Everyone- everyone seemed to be tapping on their phones, but the action seemed vacant. This is what a normal person would be doing, the tapping said, this is how someone who doesn’t have a grandma, wife, friend, father, lying in bed filled with tubes would act. Tap tap tap tap tap. 

“Al-Abbas,” Magnus heard Alex say from across the room. She had been talking to a nurse for several minutes now, trying to get into Sam’s room. 

“She’s my sister,” Alex said, standing on her tiptoes in an effort to look taller. Magnus wondered if she was trying to be intimidating. He knew it wasn’t going to work, Alex’s eyes were still red-rimmed, and mascara was running down her cheeks. He had told her that the makeup was a bad idea. 

“Yes, I know. I know, I’m older than I look. Yes- please I just want to see her.” 

Alex and the nurse talked a bit more, then Magnus watched as Alex deflated and turned back towards him. Slumping back in her chair, Alex explained that they needed to know Sam’s room number. 

“They can’t tell us?”

“It’s confidential- they can only tell people with a password.”

“Oh.” 

“I guess Sam didn’t want, you know- bad dad- visiting her.” 

“No, that makes sense.” 

The two sat in silence, then Magnus stood up. “I’m gonna go talk to them, ok?”

Alex looked as if she wanted to respond, to say something witty and slightly rude, but she just looked down and nodded. Magnus sighed and walked to the desk.

The nurse was a short woman with red hair that hurt to look at. Her name tag read “Stevens,” and she looked exhausted. She wore thick glasses, which she stared at Magnus under.

“Hey,” Magnus said, hoping he looked more composed than Alex. Ms Stevens glared at him. “I’m here to visit my sister, Samirah Al-Abbas.”

The nurse looked at him sceptically. “You’re related to her too?”

“By marriage. My- uh,” Magnus gestured towards Alex, “Wife and Sam are related by blood.” 

“You look a bit young to be married.”

“We get that a lot, can I just?” 

Ms Stevens turned to her computer, clicked her mouse a few times, then sighed. “Do you know the password?”

Magnus smiled sheepishly, “No, but you can ask me anything about her and I’ll answer it right!”

“That’s not gonna work,” The nurse said. She looked down at her desk, started some paperwork, then looked back up. Surprised to see that Magnus was still there, her expression softened a bit. 

“Look,” Ms Stevens said, “I can’t let you in. But, I’ll send a message to the room and see if a family member will come get you. OK?”

“Thank you, thank you so much,” Magnus gushed. The nurse didn’t look impressed. 

“Your name?” She asked.

“Magnus Chase-Fierro.”

“And you’re wife’s name?” 

“Alex Chase-Fierro.”

“Alright. Take a seat. I’ll let you know what happens.”

Magnus thanked the nurse and began to walk away, but was stopped when Ms Stevens called his name. He turned back to see a lollipop in her hand. 

“For your wife,” She explained, “It must have hit her hard.”

***

About ten minutes later Amina, Sam’s granddaughter, burst out of the elevator and ran towards Alex. Her jeans were ratty and her t-shirt referenced some strange esoteric band, but her headscarf was pink and green, which made Alex smile. The two hugged for a while, then Amina, who had always been closer to Alex, turned to Magnus and gave him a smile. 

“I’m so happy you came,” She said, “Samirah didn’t know if the letter got to you or not.”

“Even if we didn’t get the letter we would have come,” Alex joked, looping her arm through Magnus’ and then through Amina’s. The three made their way to the elevator, which was plastered with mirrors, and while Alex and Amina caught up, Magnus watched reflections upon reflections of them move. 

“What grade are you in now?” Alex asked. Her smudged makeup looked worse in the elevator mirror. 

“Grade 8,” Amina answered and suddenly it hit Magnus that his best friend was going to die. He wasn’t used to this. He was so well-acquainted with death that it was more like an old friend than an unknown stranger, but this-this wasn’t the death Magnus knew. People in his life didn’t die in between starched white sheets, with IVs dripping into their bloodstream, people in his life didn’t have heart monitors to mark the moment of death, and the death Magnus knew was temporary. 

As Amina told her about school, the corners of Alex’s lips curved upwards and Magnus thought back to their first kiss. It had happened because they thought they were going to die- of course,, that’s the only reason either of them would have admitted to liking the other. It was endlessly cold and Alex was no exception, but for a moment Magnus had felt endlessly warm. 

Magnus couldn’t stand the thought of his friend spending eternity in the cold. Sam was meant to go out in a blaze of fire, she was a hero and deserved a hero’s death. Nobody had expected her to die like this, once she stopped being a valkyrie everyone just assumed that nothing would kill her. Of course, that was silly, but this wasn’t Sam. The girl who fought frost giants, wrestled water horses, and flew over battlefields with the sun gleaming off her helmet was not supposed to spend her afterlife in a snow drift. 

The three soon got out of the elevator. Amina pointed in the direction of Sam’s room and Magnus started walking, just to feel Alex’s hand on his arm, holding him back. 

“Sorry, ‘Mina, can we have a moment?” Alex asked. Amina smiled, nodded, said “Of course,” then scampered towards the room holding her great-grandma. 

“Are you ok?” Magnus asked, turning towards his wife. Alex shook her head. 

“I can’t do this.” She said. There was a moment of silence, then all of the sudden Alex had his hand in a death hold and was crying again- soundless sobs that left her red in the face and breathless. Magnus wrapped his arms around her and let her cry for a while, then drew her face up to his and kissed her.   
When they pulled apart, Alex squeezed his hand, let out a shaky breath, then forced a smile. Magnus smiled back, but now it was genuine. He knew what he had to do.

***

When they walked into the room, Magnus could barely recognise his friend. She was propped up in bed, swallowed by bed sheets and a hospital gown. Her eyes were shut and skin hung off her face. Stringy strands of grey hair had escaped from a green scarf wrapped loosely around her head. A screen by the side of her bed monitored her heart and a tube was attached to her inner arm.

“She’s sleeping.” Ayesha, Sam’s daughter, said. She looked like she hadn’t slept or showered in days. Dark circles rimmed her eyes and her hair, almost completely grey like Sam’s, was pulled back into a messy ponytail. Ayesha looked at Alex and Magnus, then smiled slightly.

“Thanks for coming, you guys,” She said, “You look young as ever.”

“It’s a gift,” Alex said, punching her niece lightly on the shoulder. Ayesha let out a loud guffaw, then she and Alex looked at each other as if neither had any idea what they were doing. 

“I’m gonna wake her up,” Ayesha said after a few moments. She knelt beside her mother and murmured a few words, causing Sam to slowly open her eyes. It took awhile for her to figure out what was happening, but when she saw Magnus and Alex her face lit up. 

“It’s so good to see you!” Sam said softly. She propped herself up in bed, winced, then nestled back into her pillow. 

Alex gave Sam a hug, then sat on the bed next to her. “You look terrible,” She said affectionately, tucking Sam’s hair back into her scarf.

“My heart isn’t working,” Sam replied. 

“What did you do to it?”

“Hung out with you. The stress made it weak.”

Alex flicked Sam’s arm, making her grimace. She turned to Magnus and said, “You gonna give me a hug, Beantown?”

“My name isn’t Beantown,” Magnus said, dropping down to hug her. She smelt stale like someone had left her in inside for too long. 

“Yeah, yeah. It’s good to see you too.” 

After talking a bit about Sam’s health, the weather, and the other usual conversation fillers, Sam turned to her daughter and asked to be alone with Alex and Magnus for a while. Ayesha nodded, then turned to Amina, who had been watching the scene in the corner and said something about finding her mom in the cafeteria. 

When the two left, Sam deflated a bit. “I hate you guys seeing me like this,” she admitted, “I feel so gross, so weak. Useless. I was fine a week ago.” 

Sam took a deep breath, then continued, “I can’t get out of bed you guys. And that’s- terrifying. It’s so scary. What if something happens? If there’s an attack? It’s been years since I would have been able to do anything about it but- gods, I can’t even get my own food.”

“There’s nothing to be ashamed of, we have to let ourselves be vulnerable sometimes,” Alex said, looking over at Magnus, thanking him silently for helping her get through this. It was hard for Alex to let down her walls, but it was infinitely better than leaving them up. 

“Where are Blitz and Hearth?” Sam asked, “And Mallory, TJ, and Halfborn.”

“They were going to come, but we didn’t want to overwhelm you. They’ll visit when you’re feeling better,” Magnus explained.

Samirah shook her head, “I don’t know if I’ll get better.”

“Don’t-”

“I’m 95, Magnus, I’ve lived long enough.” 

Magnus started to speak, but Sam cut him off. “When I die there are some things I want to give them, ok?”

“Of course,” Said Alex, “What are they?”

“I want to give Mallory my axe, TJ my spear, and Halfborn my helmet. Blitz should get my swan cloak, he can do whatever he wants with it. Turn it into some sort of,” here Sam smiled, “Duck or something. I trust him. I want Hearth to get this book of runes I bought a few years ago. It’s not magical or anything, there isn’t even stuff he doesn’t know about in it, I just need to get rid of it. I need to get rid of everything that could hint about my life in Valhalla. The stuff that Odin gave me can be donated to the hotel, I’m not attached.” 

There were a few moments of silence, during which Sam closed her eyes again. She then opened them suddenly and said, “Remember that stuff you pulled at my graduation? With the airhorns? None of that at my funeral. Also- I’m going to be buried on my right side facing Mecca, okay? If you guys end up burning me at sea I’m going to rise from the dead and haunt you ‘till Ragnarok, understood?”

“Yeah, we get it, Sam,” Alex said, “We won’t make your death a living hell.”

Sam smiled softly, and several minutes passed. Then, when he couldn’t take it anymore, Magnus turned to his wife. “Do you mind if I have a minute alone with Sam?” He asked.

Alex nodded, gave her sister a kiss on the forehead, then walked out, closing the door behind her gently. As soon as she was gone, Magnus leapt forward. 

“Sam,” he said, “I was thinking, you know, I have healing powers. Because of my dad. I mean- his talking sword and his giant yellow boat were kinda ridiculous but-”

“Oh yeah, how is Jack doing?” Sam asked.

“It’s been almost 80 years and he’s still not over Taylor Swift. But that’s not the point- the point is- I can fix your heart. You can live past this, Sam, you don’t have to go to Hel, you can-”

Magnus was going to say more but stopped as he saw Sam shaking her head slowly. He slumped onto the bed and watched the heart monitor go up and down, up and down, up and down. After god knows how long, Sam let out a deep sigh.

“I’ve lived a good life, Magnus,” She said, “I’ve had two kids and three grandkids, and now I have so many great-grandchildren that I can’t even count them all. I’ve had friends who have stuck by me through everything, I’ve seen all 9 worlds. I flew, Magnus, I’ve spent most of my life flying. I have loved more than I thought was possible, and people have loved me just as much-”

“-And we love you, Sam, so much, which is why I can’t just let you-”

“-Let me finish. I’m 95 and my brain is still intact but it’s not gonna stay that way much longer. I was married longer than some people have lived, but he’s not around anymore and I, well I miss him. And Magnus, I’m just so tired, all the time. I’ve been in a constant state of exhaustion ever since I was 15 and now it’s time for me to go to bed.” 

“Come on Sam, you can’t just waste away here-”

“-You want what’s best for me and I get that,” Sam said, “But look, I’ve been a good person. I’m not going to Niflheim just because I didn’t die in battle. There’s something beyond all this for me, and it’s going to be wonderful. I have a feeling about it.”

There was a moment of silence, then Sam spoke again. “It’s been twenty years since I’ve seen my husband. You and Alex have an eternity together and I want the same thing with Amir. God has decided that I’m going to die and Magnus, you’re among some of the most wonderful and brave people I’ve ever met, but even though you have powers from the gods, you aren’t one. My time has come and I’m gonna take it smiling.”

Magnus watched the line on Sam’s monitor go up and down, up and down and tried not to cry. This was a situation where he should have known what to do. It wasn’t a battle, there was nothing to fight, there was just an easy solution that Sam wouldn’t let him take. 

After a few minutes of watching Sam’s heartbeat, Magnus smiled. “You know,” he said, “I’m just mad because you get to die and I don’t. Like jeez, I get stabbed at least once a day and I don’t get any rest. All you have to do is lie in bed and wait? Not fair.” 

Sam looked at him for a minute then let out a soft laugh. “I’m sorry for bringing you to Valhalla.”

“It’s fine, I guess. We have yoga to the death.” Magnus paused for a moment. “You know, before I died I never had a family. I mean, after my mom died I just avoided people but now, now I have Blitz and Hearth and everyone on floor 19 and,” he smiled, “Alex. It’s all because of you. So, thanks, I guess. It’s not all shit.” 

“Well I’m glad I didn’t make your death a ‘living hell.’”

“Oh no, you definitely did. It’s hell. I hate it. But the people there don’t suck and that was never something I thought was possible.”

Sam smiled and leaned back on her pillow. “I love you, Magnus,” she said. 

“Yeah, I love you too Sam.” 

There was a long, comfortable pause, then Sam grinned and said, “Are Halfborn and Mallory dating again?”

***

When Alex returned she had cleaned up a bit in the bathroom so mascara was no longer running down her cheeks and her hair was tied back. She, Sam, and Magnus exchanged a few words, then Sam turned to Magnus and said, “It’s Alex’s turn to have a heart to heart, go away Beantown.” 

Magnus wrinkled his nose at the name, then gave Alex a quick kiss, and slipped outside. The hallway was large and brightly lit and he found himself wandering down it, only half aware of what he was doing. He walked in circles, in lines, smiled at the same nurse three different times, then went to buy a pudding cup. It was vanilla and tasted like nothing.

When the cup was empty Magnus stared into it, trying to pour his feelings into the empty space.

***

“We have stuff to unpack,” Sam said, once Magnus was gone.

“Do we?” asked Alex.

Sam nodded, then shook her head. “No,” she said, “I mean, we do have stuff to unpack, but, you know what it’s about.”

Alex nodded. 

“This might be the last time I ever talk to you,” Sam continued, “And I don’t want to spend it hung up on Loki.”

“Of course, I get that.” 

“Do you remember what I said when you came for Eid al-Fitr that one time?”

“‘This lamb is so good Mr Fadlan?’”

Sam rolled her eyes. “No, you doofus. Remember- we went to my room and you made fun of my boy band posters-”

“-Yeah, those didn’t seem like you at all.”

“I got them when I was 12 and didn’t have the energy to take them down. Shut up. Anyways, I told you that you were the strongest, bravest person I had ever met and that I was flattered to call you my sibling. I said that you were everything I wanted to be but couldn’t.”

Alex smiled, “I remember.” 

“That still stands,” Sam said, “I know we’ve had our ups and downs, but there hasn’t been a single moment when I haven’t thought the world of you.”

“The same goes for you, Sam,” Alex said, “You’re smart and rational, you’re braver than anyone I know, you care so much for us all. The world will have a gap that can’t be filled once you die.” 

Sam leaned forward, ruffled Alex’s hair, then smiled sheepishly. “You know, the reason I wear a green scarf so often, even now that it doesn’t hide me from enemies, is because it makes me feel closer to you. You’re hair, you know, it’s green. And green is… yeah.”

Alex grinned, then tugged her shirt to down slightly to reveal a small, geometric lion tattooed under her collarbone. “Al-Abbas- the lion. Right?”

Sam was silent and, after a while, Alex realised that she was crying. She made no sound, just let her tears fall. The glistened on her face, then slowly made their way down her chin, darkening the fabric below it. Alex, feeling pin-pricks behind her own eyes, stood up, gave her sister a kiss on her cheek, then slipped out of the room.   
When she was alone, Alex let herself cry for the third time that day. 

***

Alex found his husband staring down a pudding cup in the cafeteria and slid on the bench next to him. “Hey, Magnus,” he said, “How’s it going?”

“Good,” Magnus said. He then shook his head, “Bad. It’s going bad.”

Alex’s eyes followed Magnus’ to the cup and he let himself stare at it. It helped a little bit.

“You a guy?” Magnus asked eventually. 

“Yeah,” Said Alex.

“How did it go with Sam?”

“Alright, I guess.”

There were a few moments of silence, during which both Alex and Magnus looked at the cup. Then, Magnus took hold of Alex’s hand and whispered, “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Alex said, trying his best to smile. Magnus squeezed his hand, then Alex leaned forward, cupped his face in his hands, and gave Magnus a kiss.

And at that moment, despite the white-washed walls and the blaring lights, despite the constant beeping that came from nowhere and the hushed prayers of hundreds of people, everything was warm.

A floor above them, Samirah al-Abbas closed her eyes one last time.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading this fic!
> 
> Please let me know what you think! 
> 
> I'm always lonely so if you want to talk, or if you just want to yell at me because this was terrible, feel free to talk to me on Tumblr (https://stevethebread.tumblr.com).
> 
> Thank you again for reading this, it means the world to me.


End file.
